Senior Director, Business Development

Job Description

The Business/Program Development pillar of the AMU is responsible for all the IRC’s business development from institutional sources. The Senior Director leads Business Development is accountable for bringing in statutory institutional donor and partner funding. She/he sets strategic direction for funding priorities and targets; donor engagement, proposal development, submissions and donor compliance as appropriate within the scope of Business Development. The Senior Director is accountable for building and expanding an integrated framework for competitive analysis and positioning to underpin pillar processes and procedures and improve quality standards and measures. The Senior Director also ensures smooth alignment and coordination of Business Development with other AMU pillars as well as with field program, technical and operational departments in the organization. Additionally, this role builds and sustains a culture and reputation of responsive customer service and delivery excellence, and will drive the pillar’s contribution to the AMU mission of providing a robust, field-facing structure that serves to coordinate and facilitate the Project Lifecycle from opportunity to close out using best-in-class processes and systems to provide transparent information for grants oversight, donor compliance, and organizational decision-making. Major Responsibilities: • Working with other teams and under the direction of the VP, operationalize the IRC Global Business Development Strategy to resource IRC’s strategic priorities • Lead business/program development to position IRC as the premier, effective and innovative humanitarian organization in the view of institutional donors • Grow revenue, expand our donor portfolio, and strengthen relationships with existing institutional donors • Oversee planning; analysis and high level stakeholder communication to identify and optimize strategic and business opportunities • Set strategic direction for donor funding priorities; donor negotiations on competitive awards; and donor engagement • Implement and build an integrated framework for bid leadership, including competitive analysis and positioning, to guide the selection and pursuit of grants and strategic partners based on IRC’s global strategy and AMU’s business development strategy • Advise on organizational systems development and/or enhancement to build competitiveness • Ensure program development management procedures, systems and processes enable us to achieve growth and operational excellence • Serve as a key business development point of contact with institutional donors and partners including USAID, ECHO and DFID • Serve as a key business development relationship developer and manager with potential international partners • Regularly report and advise IRC Leadership and senior management on current and anticipated changes of donors to ensure that IRC are well positioned • Liaise with other pillars within the AMU to ensure efficient and effective workflows and optimized business development processes • Liaise with other IRC departments to advance organizational BD goals and ensure complementary workflows • Represent Business Development and at times AMU/IRC with other external stakeholders • Lead the global Business/Program Development team Pillar, Line and Quality Management duties • Oversee and manage the deputy directors of program development – be accountable for distribution of workload amongst the teams, ensuring that responsibilities are dealt with promptly and to the highest standard. • Build strong team culture and cohesion, aligned with AMU and organizational goals and values • Set performance measurement to meet the goals of the pillar and AMU • Manage team budgets, forecasts and financial planning; deploy cost reduction strategies where appropriate and necessary • Steer proposal development and bid leadership processes; take accountability for quality and operational excellence through key performance indicators; best practice processes techniques, project management methodologies and proposal development tools • Set agendas and chair regular team and internal stakeholder meetings • Provide direction for team growth – accountable for identifying new funding opportunities and donors, cultivating external and internal relationships; and ensuring prioritization is in line with IRC global strategy and revenue targets

Qualifications

Skills, Knowledge and Qualifications • Degree (minimum BA) or equivalent experience in a field relevant to IRC’s work; • Minimum of 10 years of work experience • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively manage a variety of relationships in a highly matrixed working environment • Demonstrated ability to collaborate equally effectively with colleagues in ‘remote’ and diverse teams, including as team leader for proposals; • The ability to work productively and accurately while under pressure in a fast-paced, demanding environment; • Flexible work attitude: the ability to work in a team environment and independently and ability to meet unexpected demands; • Ability to multi-task and prioritize effectively; • Ability to work autonomously and under remote management. Experience • Demonstrated track record of winning major funding proposals for development and humanitarian donors, • Significant experience working with DFID and USAID funding • Significant experience in building consortium for development and humanitarian funding as well as negotiation of programmatic and financial contractual arrangements with donors and partners. • Demonstrated experience in designing, implementing and expanding frameworks for business development, including competitive analysis • Ability to lead, motivate and develop teams, with the ability to lead teams through change. • Demonstrated experience in building and managing institutional/public donor relations and representation of the organisation to diverse audiences, including at a senior level. • Significant experience in developing countries, preferably in the context of an NGO or International Organisation (UN or major donor or similar) • Proven ability to work supportively and successfully with virtual teams. • Demonstrated ability to plan and manage expectations of remote field staff colleagues while delivering to deadlines. • Highly organised, able to manage competing priorities and identify strategic and critical issues • Effectively and efficiently manage systems and resources • Understand and manage risk. • Manage and support a team to work effectively and under pressure. • First-class attention to detail. Ability to analyse and synthesise information. • Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills. • Inspire and coach the team to deliver • Highly motivated self-starter

About the Organization

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster.

At work today in over 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, the IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.